Extremists Hold Up Bank in Tel Aviv; Kill Four Britons, Escape with $180,000

September 28, 1947

Jerusalem (Sep. 26)

A band of extremists today robbed Barclay’s Bank in the heart of Tel Aviv and escaped with $180,000 after killing four British constables, seriously wounding a fifth and wounding six Jewish bystanders who were hospitalized.

In one of the most daring daylight robberies ever carried out in Palestine, the band, believed to be Sternists, attacked an armored car unloading currency at the bank and seized two sacks containing $600,000. However, one of the sacks, with $420,000, was dropped by two of the robbers when they fled from a police patrol.

The attack opened with the explosion of a hand grenade across the street from the bank. While attention was centered on the diversionary target, an office of the Palestine Economic Corporation, several men in a white jeep drove up to the armored car and threw several hand grenades and opened fire on policemen guarding the money. Three policemen died then, while the fourth was killed and the fifth injured by several other members of the band who were planted in the bank, dressed as Arabs, to disrupt attempts at pursuit.

Traffic throughout the center of the city was disrupted as an alert was sounded and reinforcements rushed to the scene of the robbery. Police announced that two suspects had been captured and it is believed that two others were wounded, although they escaped.

Police this morning discovered an arms cache in an Arab-owned shop in Haifa. The first major Arab arms store seized since the 1936-39 riots, it was discovered after an explosion in the shop attracted the attention of the police.